Arrowhead
by EclipseLover93
Summary: A story I wish to one day publish: Leah, a teenage girl overcome by sickness moves to a place called Arapaho but shortly leaves after issues strike more than once;Gone to live with her Aunt Riley in Alexandria she remembers what she missed and she loves.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Whenever I was given the question as to what I would do with my life I never thought it would happen this way. Being on a "roller coaster road" was nothing compared to what I have done? Being sick has advantages and disadvantages of course but when they involve love, decision, and change where things tend to become trivial. I told myself I would thrive in the mountains that sit in the Continental divide.

My parents basically never let me out of sight; I was diagnosed into chemotherapy with leukemia at 16, my name is Leah. I have two brothers and a sister with my life full of secrets, I was the one that was trusted but if anyone asked me I would say; "I'm the bad one". I knew it was hard for me being the oldest and all but it was the way I intended. My parents wanted for me to fit into the perfect society they had become a custom to, I did just that but it became not so perfect afterward. Lying in my bed one morning I was thinking "oh no, what are they going to try on me today?" I groaned. My clock read 7:20a.m, I figured they would be up and coming for me in another hour or so. See my parents have a bad habit of treating me like a 2-year-old learning to walk instead of a 17-year-old person! The entire house was silent from what I could hear, I knew the guys were so not up and I usually have to pry at my sister to get out of bed. The rain from the night before was still hitting against my window, I am so glad we are in the season of rainfall, yeah right! Tourists come in and out of Arapaho (Uh-RAH-puh-ho), Wyoming constantly with the tribes living here and all. From being raised here I actually managed around my parents to become known by a few young ones in the northern tribe, one in particular.


	2. Cayson

**Chapter 1**

His name was Cayson; I could picture him like it was nothing. He had long black hair to the almost center of his back, dark brown eyes that looked as if they were chocolate sometimes, and finally broad muscles that made this teenage native body look like a young warrior. Something very distinct of him was that he had a scar that ran above his left eye but just below his brow enough to conceal it. Once he and I were content talking to eachother, he took me down the Arapaho River to show me his "second home" that I started to understand why he did. It was beautiful! The middle of autumn and the leaves lightly being brushed off by the trees into the clear shallow water, he leaned down into the rock bed and pulled out a triangle stone the size on my thumb. Once he cleaned it a little showing the detail better he turns his head slightly to me and asks;

"You know what this is?" being honest and knowing almost nothing of the tribe I reply; "No, no I don't." I swear I saw a slight smile across his face and he placed the stone in my hand and whispered close to me;

"It's an arrowhead, a small one." Studying the stone in my palm, the stone was dull on the edges and tip it seemed but it had an unusual carve in it. I turned the arrowhead in his direction and asked;

"Cayson, what does this look like to you?" he smiled slightly and rubbed his fingertips down the carving slowly saying; "It looks like a feather to me." He met my eyes then.

"Turn around." I did. Two seconds later, I felt something lightly brush my back then around my neck. He whispered for me to turn around again. Doing as told, I looked down to see the arrow was around my neck tied with a string.

I promised myself that night that "One day I will be his."

After that night, Cayson and I became closer. He showed me everything:

His favorite "hideouts".

The old tribal hunting grounds

And finally how to use a real bow and arrow (something I've always wanted to do)

I never realized he was trying to relieve me from my protective parents. I knew I couldn't tell him of my cancer, for some reason it would hurt both of us saying it. The bow I used my first time he let me keep, apparently it was one of his and he had many more. I believed it too. Every once and a while he would ask me to meet him around midnight at the river he gave me my arrowhead, because of my parents I couldn't and felt bad for saying so. I was bored every night he asked me and would just stare out my window wondering what he was doing, but one night I had all I could take.

My parents gave me the same questions of "why I haven't been inside?" or "where was I all day?" until I finally snapped, the only thing I could think of was "I need Cayson." He asked me earlier in the day the usual question; "Can you meet me tonight by the river?" so I had the feeling he was there even if I couldn't be. I waited for my parents to go into their bedroom for the night, which they would fall asleep minutes later. I quietly stepped down the stairs and slipped out the front door not regretting what I was doing. I started my jeep and drove it to the river hoping he would be there.

... And he was.

As soon as he saw me pull up, he was on his feet smiling. I smiled back and turned off my car meeting him halfway to me. He silently took me in his arms, looked into my eyes for a minute and placed a soft kiss on my lips. I smiled and placed my head on his chest not wanting to let go. He laced his fingers with mine and led me to the blanket he was on placed against a tree; He pulled us down sitting me between his legs not even slightly breaking his grip on my hand. With his head next to mine but not facing me, he asked;

"I thought you wouldn't come?" it wasn't really a question but I knew what he wanted to say, His eyes burned with passion and something else that was unreal to me.

"I never wanted to be away." I shifted to get a look at his face, his eyes met mine as he pulled me closer to his chest but not hard enough to where I could not breathe although I could not anyway.

"Tsinehi" (T-sin-e-hi) he said softly then translated the word to; "I love you" I smiled and tried to pronounce the word but failed miserably. Cayson only laughed. I blushed and said, "I love you too." Tilting my head only a little he placed another soft kiss on my lips but a little deeper this time. Laying me down on the blanket softly I never complained that it was uncomfortable but around this moment I didn't care. The last thing I remember was the passionate kiss he gave me, that stayed fresh on my lips.

I woke the next morning lying across his chest with another blanket wrapped around us. I noticed that he was in his jeans but no shirt, the shirt was on me. I was lying in his shirt and my underwear with his arm draped over my waist. My shuffling caused him to wake.

"Hey." He said smiling and tightening his arm around me. I looked up at the sound of his voice to find him looking down at me smiling.

"Thank you" the only words I could say. When we were fully awake about 20 minutes later of only holding eachother, we got dressed and he walked me to my car kissing me one last time passionately and stepped back opening my door for me. I turned my head before moving any closer.

"I love you" I said over my shoulder.

He winked once. "I love you too." I climbed into the driver seat and shut the door; Cayson leaned against my window casually and caressed the side of my cheek. I shut my eyes and enjoyed the moment as his touch got lighter and lighter I smiled from the feeling.

After I left the drive home seemed like hours, I couldn't distract myself from the thought of what happened last night. How much I care for him and want to be with him.

I knew my parents were up by now seeing as the clock on my dashboard just struck 9:00a.m. "Busted" should be written across my forehead but it was so worth punishment.

My dad was worst of all. He saw the hickey Cayson put on my neck and yelled at me until his blood pressure was air-borne. I was slapped as my mom yelled so loud the neighbors down the street could possibly hear us.

"Do you realize what you have done? What do you think our friends are going to say about this? We taught you better than to go running around with some trash! I had it right then.

"He's the only one that cares about me!" I snapped back at her once she judged him without even giving me a chance to explain.


	3. Leaving here now

**Chapter 2**

"You guys only care about your precious reputation while you keep me locked up in this house night and day!" with those last words I ran to my room and locked the door as the silence remained downstairs. With tears falling down my face I took refuge to my bed for the day just like how my "perfect parents" want me to be.

The next day I sat in my room looking out into the day. Watching my dad leave for work, the kids playing tag in the yard across from us and my mom working in the garden by the front door, I never moved. I would hear my mother walk toward my room to see if I would come out but stop in her tracks half way, I would hear my dad stop by my door to set something down and walk off. That was it for 3 days; I did nothing but sit during the day and sleep at night. The "4th day" I walked out, my parents said nothing in acknowledgement so I grabbed my keys and walked out the house.

Driving anywhere, anywhere that would stop this pain. The lake at the end of the river was where I ended, Cayson found me though. He always found me when I was hurting, not saying a word he placed a blanket around me and waited intently for me to speak.

For what seemed like an hour later I finally spoke. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Same thing I always do here, talk to you." Cayson replied neutral as ever beside me.

"What if I don't want to talk?" I asked getting defensive. He was not the first person or the last I wanted to see right now, I was upset enough already and had a feeling he was not going to make it any better.

"Then you'll listen, why didn't you-?" He started but I cut him off right there hoping he would find the right words to say before speaking again.

"No, I don't need a babysitter. I don't need anyone, not even you!" I snapped.

"Fine" He said getting up and taking one last look at me before leaving and that was the last time I ever saw him for a good while. He wasn't on the reservation when I thought he would be or anywhere; it was like he fell off the edge of the earth.

"What did I just do?"…"Cayson" Once again I cried until the pain ceased to exist but the lump in my throat stayed, I soon realized it was guilt.

My mom finally said something to me when I walked in the front door a couple hours later but made no remark like she cared once I mentioned his name. Only the "_I told you so" _expression came across the room in her eyes.

"That's it! I want to move, I don't care if I move out alone or with you and dad but I want to leave." I stressed a little too harshly but needed to be said.

"Your dad and I can't move. If you leave you'll be leaving on your own. You know that, don't you?" she asked almost uncaring for me as her daughter.

"Yes." Finishing her unspoken remark before she let the last two words out her mouth; smiling a half smile of nothing special to her I walked to my room and packed anything I could reach without throwing against a wall, planning to leave this place in the morning.

When 3:15a.m shown on my clock, I was wide-awake lying in bed from a sleepless night. The thoughts of the past 24 hours were still replaying themselves in my head one event after another, running my hands through my hair I knew I had to get out of here before I lose it. My parents were unconscious from what I could hear but out of my life as far as I was concerned. My siblings wouldn't care if I were gone; they were in my parent's world almost the exact opposite of my position in it. Very well known and loved.

Time to leave; I sat against the wall in my bedroom with my duffel bag seeing if I were missing anything, certainly not wanting to come back. My bag included:

5 sets of clothing.

Toothbrush and necessary items

$200 of cash my mother used to apologize

my cell phone

The letter from my Aunt Riley in Alexandria, Louisiana.

My notebook

Shutting off my light to my room and slipping down the hallway and out the door quietly. My car was out of the question from the start because my parents could find me anywhere with the police so I started walking to the end of the perfect neighborhood that practically hated me.

While walking I reached back for my phone and dialed my aunt's house in Alexandria telling her that I was coming for a visit, I figured I would tell her the entire story in person so she couldn't send me back home. Like always when she wanted to see me.

"Of course, you can come down. I'll see you soon sweetie." She said giddy since we left her all that time ago.

The train station wasn't far from the reservation so I figured I would cut through the woods to make the trip less suspicious to others and less dreadful to me. To my surprise the view under the trees today seemed clearer than other days when it seemed misty, I passed the river and tried to focus my thoughts away from the events that took place in this spot. "_Cayson" _His name rang through my head as my pants were being soaked just below my ankles from the usual autumn leafy water as I sighed to myself. _"What must I do to get him out of my head?" _I kept asking myself over and over again. The forest edge left only a ten minute walk north to the train station on the outside of town. The ticket cost $25.00 total which was nice for a 3-hour ride to Alexandria and switch of trains in between the time.


	4. Alexandria

**Chapter 3**

Once on the train I looked for a numbered spot that was empty so I could be alone. Finding a section numbered 23B in the middle somewhere I sat down and pulled my bag into the side seat next to me. Retrieving my notebook hidden in between my aunt's letter and a set of clothing, opening it to my newest page I continue writing where I left off. "_She says she doesn't know how it happened but she felt like the center of everything; love, trust, and music. A song can only be heard through a harmony as two hearts beat into one, a harmony within itself. A last song needs the components of a grand finale but when that moment collides with truth the real notes appear. The real love in a couple's bond like a composer to music, Love happens within." _A family passed my seat and the little girl smiled at me reminding me of how I was long ago. Thinking for a moment I returned to my writing. "_Age being only a number and thought being only a distraction life moves in that second beyond control. She was once told __**"**__the one shown is the one to vow to but be aware of whom to seek.__**" **__one person in this world connects with another, how can anyone be sure they have the right one? Love shows many flaws and unpredictable images but nothing compares to the natural safe feeling when you look into that someone's eyes and know they will keep you out of anything…that they would die for that special person if it came down to it." "the song __**"**__I hope you dance__**"**__ I have lived by my entire life; the lyrics of the song make myself want to live so openly like it says but considering my condition I can't." _

Hours passed with my cell phone reading 10am, the train gave the final blow once I glanced out my window to find Alexandria on the other side staring back at me. Other passengers were rushing like ants out of the cars, before I reached the platform and stepped down and looked up I was in my aunt's arms.

"Hey sweetie!" she said pulling us apart with a big smile on her face.

"Hi Aunt Riley" I smiled barely once she took my bag in her hand as we walked through the crowd to her car while she was going on about it being a long time since I visited and how much she missed us kids. I pretended to listen but didn't actually care.

On the drive to Aunt Riley's house she was ranting about the changes that had taken place over the years and all, I still did not care. The house was still on the dirt road I remember from when I was little and was still the white colored house with dirt practically thrown on the outside of it and never cleaned, one difference… the garden. The garden was filled with nothing but lavender plants this year but every time I visited in the past it was filled with pink roses and occasional weeds.

"Different, huh" Aunt Riley's question made me jump from my thoughts back to reality.

"Y-yea" When did you do this?" Pondering my memories of this place and of what she was ranting about of the drive here.

"About a month ago, James down the way helped me out a bit." She said with an appreciating smile and shrug of her shoulders.

"James?" I asked trying to remember but only to find my head was blank.

"What?" You don't remember James, the boy that used to play with you in this very garden! Come on, let me show you something."

She led me to the porch and said to sit in which I obeyed, she walked inside with my bag and about 3 minutes later was back out on the porch with a picture album in one hand and a glass of sweet tea in another hand. She placed the tea glass in front of me and sat next to me at the little table opening the album and flipping page after page looking for something.

"Here we are, this is James then and James now" She said pointing at the pictures of a small boy arm in arm with a little girl in one picture and in another picture showing a teenager sitting on a porch step with a tea glass in his hands. "He should be coming by shortly, He sometimes does yard work out here for me." Aunt Riley explained motioning to the garden.

"Aunt Riley? Are you wondering yet why I'm here?" she gave me a curious look as to give the real reason. "I'm not getting along well with mom and dad so…I was sort of wondering if I could stay here with you." "If you do not mind that is" I added on.

"Of course, you can stay here sweetie. How could I possibly turn down that beautiful face" I felt a relief and relaxed a little. A shout came from around the side of the house "There's James now." She said to me. "We're out here James come on back." She yelled out faced in the direction of the sound.

Suddenly a rather handsome brown haired boy about 19 came from around the corner wearing a white undershirt with an opened button down shirt and denim jeans with boots carrying gloves in his left hand. He smiled at my aunt warmly and nodded southern like as if he were to be wearing a hat.

"Good morning Ms. Riley." James greeted her respectfully shifting the gloves from one hand to another.

"Good morning James. Surely you remember my niece Leah from all those years ago." She gestured to me with one movement of her head and a smile.

"How could I forget? How are you little one?" _little one_, the nickname he gave me because I was the youngest. I laughed remembering now.

"Good. And I'm not so little now huh?" giving him a smile like how I did when I was younger.

"No, as a matter of fact you are not" he replied and gave a sly wink to me.


	5. Go ask him!

**Chapter 4**

My aunt disappeared and returned with a glass of tea and passed it to James.

Join us, will ya?" She offered before sitting down at the table once again.

"Thank ya for the tea ma'am but I really should be getting to work on your garden." He said taking a sip and placing the glass on the porch step before walking away to the lavender grasslands. My aunt chuckled in that moment leaning closer to me.

"In all these 19 years that boy has never called me ma'am. He must like you." Aunt Riley whispered softly teasing me. I almost choked from the tea I was swallowing after hearing those words.

"What? No, why would a guy like that have anything to do with a girl like me?" I asked in a rush. My aunt only shrugged her shoulders in response.

Aunt Riley went inside after a while of sitting with me enjoying the cool autumn air leaving me to my thoughts and James to his yard work. My full tea glass was bone dry when James finally showed up again; he took Aunt's seat and relaxed closing his eyes.

"So what's new little one? Haven't seen ya in a while" He asked without moving.

"Nothing much we moved out to Wyoming that's why we haven't been around for a good…number of years?" I said now feeling a little bad for not coming to visit.

"Hey don't sweat it. I've been looking in out for her" he said sitting up and facing me with a thoughtful look spread across his face. "You haven't gotten any sun lately, been hiding under a rock again." He said with a little bit of laughter.

"What about you?" I asked this time.

"Huh?" he replied quickly confused.

"What's new about you?" I asked correcting my earlier question.

"Turned 19 and started working for your aunt. That's about it!" he shrugged giving a smile. "I missed you, little one" he said sweetly. I said the first thing that came to mind.

"What'd you miss?" I asked solemnly looking down a little.

He reached over and tilted my chin up a little. "I missed your smile for one thing, how we spent every day together, those big brown eyes of yours plus all the memories of us because when you left I didn't know what to do. I was bored all the time and that's when I started helping out your aunt." He explained. "Can you promise me something?" he added pulling his hand back. "What?" I asked.

"Promise me you won't leave again without saying goodbye." Then it occurred to me, I placed my hand over my mouth and said;

"Oh no, I never said goodbye did I?" He only shook his head in response still looking at me but this time with a little sadness from the memory.

"All these years I kept wondering what happened to you, but not even your aunt knew." James explained. Now I felt really bad.

Out stepped Aunt Riley toward the table, James got up quickly and offered his chair to her smiling then leaned on the railing near the table crossing his ankles. "What are you two catching up on?" she asked.

"Nothing much" James and I said together causing us to laugh like old times.

"Sure. Listen, James I'm soon gonna steal her away from you for lunch in town. So you can have the rest of the day off if you want to." Aunt Riley explained with a sweet smile.

"Thank you Ms. Riley but I really should finish up today." He replied professionally.

"I could help out?" I offered politely and smiled toward James.

"There's not much to-do really but thanks anyway." He smiled a half smile and walked away again. I sighed.

"Sweetie don't you worry about it. James is harder to get to know now then back then." Aunt Riley said comforting.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, it's not my place to say. Go and ask him." She insisted.


	6. Best burger joint in town

"Go on." Aunt Riley nudged me. Taking a deep breath I stood up and walked down from the porch and out to the garden to look for James, but he was already gone. The lavender was still wet from the hose and the soil was freshly placed like he had just left not even a minute ago, I looked around beyond the garden but he was nowhere in sight.

"Weird." I said to myself while walking back to the porch.

"Ready for lunch sweetie" Aunt Riley asked cheerfully with her purse and car keys in hand. "Sure. Let me go get my cell phone." I walked into the house and down the hallway to find the first bedroom with my bag on the bed, I opened the side pocket grabbed my cell phone and walked out the house for lunch.

The drive into town took about 15 minutes. We passed the train station and a few other shops before arriving at a local diner called _Naps_, my aunt stopped the car in a close parking space and leaned over to me.

"The best burger joint in town" She smiled wide as we walked through the doors to be seated. Sitting in a large round booth my aunt ordered us 2 sweet teas and ordered herself the house cheeseburger, the waitress looked at me a second after and asked what I would like.

"Make that two." With a smile painted on my face.

The overly powered sweet teas came a second later by another waitress; my aunt thanked her as the waitress scurried off to assist her own tables. This place had 70's written all over it! The staff wore red and white dresses and white matching shoes, the kitchen had a pickup window built into the wall that you could see almost the entire kitchen from the counter area and the walls were painted red to match the red plastic seats and linoleum checkered floor. While I looked around lost in my own world my aunt was playing music on our little table jukebox, for a moment she played Ray Charles then moved to a beat like something from Elvis.

Time clicked away…I saw a few teenagers walk to a booth and order once our burgers arrived. I couldn't believe that teenagers would want to hangout in here until I looked down and saw how good this burger looked and took a bite. It tasted even better than how it looked! I now understood what my aunt meant by saying "the best burger joint in town" After eating a little more than half way in the burger and a few of the fries I was stuffed and ready for a nap. My aunt paid even after all my attempts to pay for my half of the bill so I let her. When we walked out the teenagers were still there drinking milkshakes and laughing but I didn't pay much attention.

I yawned once we sat in the car causing my aunt to laugh "someone tired already?" she teased. I only smiled and nodded. I knew I was tired after a day of traveling but what I couldn't seem to realize was it felt like 5pm but it was only 2:45pm.

"Wow time goes slow." I said relaxing for the 15-minute drive back to the house while Aunt Riley concentrated on the road. That nap sounded better and better by the minute.


	7. Did you ever forget

**Chapter 6**

That afternoon I stayed out on the porch till bed for some reason. The lavender plants smelled amazing in the cooler night air, every once and a while Aunt Riley would join me but around maybe 9:00pm she stopped coming out and the entire house was dark but one lamp left on for me. While sitting outside all this time I kept thinking of home, _him_, and of my old life. That's when I figured out that Cayson used me! That night in a long time I actually cried. Not tears of heartbreak but tears of truth. With the one last breath of the lavender plants in the fresh air I fell asleep for the night.

The next day, when I woke I was in my bed with the entire house smelling of bacon I stepped out my room moving toward the kitchen to find James at the table and my aunt at the stove messing with sizzling bacon.

"Smells good" I said while my stomach grumbled. James looked up right then and gave me a sweet smile.

"Yeah it does, are you hungry?" He asked fully dressed in a gray t-shirt and jeans.

"A little" I admitted shyly to him causing my cheeks to turn pink.

My aunt and James both laughed while I sat down. "Breakfast!" my aunt announced as she filled the plates high with sugary goodness like pancakes, waffles, and muffins bigger than my palm.

"Have you made enough Aunt Riley" I said with a laugh.

"You haven't seen how much James eats." She joked.

"Hey!" James said with a laugh. Breakfast was so good and Aunt Riley was right that James did eat a lot but not like the mountain of food I imagined. James and I offered to clean the kitchen for Aunt Riley but she insisted that she would clean it.

"You should go spend time together and catch up." She said shooing us out the kitchen so we walked out into the front yard to stretch out on the grass and talk about everything we missed over the years.

"Did you ever forget about the shortcut we took as kids from here to my house?" James asked while we were talking.

"The one onto the trail, Never" I replied. "Was that the same trail you said a ghost that ate little girls lived on" I added with a smile.

"That would be the one." He laughed.

"You never forgave me for that day." He pointed out.

"And I never will, you gave me nightmares for days." I said looking at him. He laughed again causing me to playfully hit him.

"It was funny!" He admitted with a smug smile.

"No it was not!" I said quickly like a little girl.

"What about the tire swing back by the old tree house we made?" He asked.

"Wow, I actually forgot about the tree house and swing…and that was like our lives work." I admitted surprising myself.

"Well then, why don't we go remind you" James said getting up off the yard.

"Huh?" I was confused.

"Let's go see our masterpiece." James said explaining himself and holding out his hand to help me up.

"Why not, we haven't had an adventure together in years." I said grabbing his hand and getting up.

"Ready?" James asked.

"Yep" I replied quickly and we scurried off like how we did when we were younger. Same rule applying: **Do Not Tell The Grown-Ups!**


	8. James and Leah

**Chapter 7**

We reached the line of trees when James turned to me eh _little one_.

"Just like old times. Come on it's not that far this way." I followed him not remembering the way although the trees did look familiar in some features. James still held my hand but from how I was behind him it looked painful to keep his arm behind his back and stretched out an inch or two, so I moved beside him to make it comfortable for both of us. The leaves crunched beneath of feet as we joked about the things we used to do in the tree house.

"Like the time you climbed up to the top one day and was so scared to climb back down." James joked to me.

"Shut up I was little then." I blushed.

"The tree house…just like before except our height and age" James said as we arrived. It was like a rush of memories came back to me once I saw it…where I fell and broke my arm falling from one of the branches, the scrap wooden tiny house that could only fit two small kids, and the tire swing where I had my first kiss.

"Remember it now?" James asked with a soft smile sitting up against the tree.

"Yeah, all of it" I said not believing it lasted all these years.

"Even…" he asked pointing towards the tire swing.

"Yeah" I said with a sad tone.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked getting up walking the four steps toward me. "Don't." I stopped him. "It's nothing." I added and moved to sit on the tire swing.

"You don't have to tell me." He said moving behind me to push me on the tire swing. I smiled on how easy it was to talk to James and also that my feet still couldn't touch the ground on this swing after all these years.

James and I sat against the tree for an hour after my legs became tired from hanging and James laughing at how wobbly I walked when feeling dizzy from the spinning we did. It was fun!

"James, do you recognize this spot?" I asked sitting down against the tree.

"Yeah" He said sitting down next to me. In the same moment we both looked behind us to see the names _**James and Leah **_written in black sharpie__on the hand sized clearing made from torn off bark.

"That was done so many years ago…I was 10!" I said stunned that it lasted 7 years through the storms and all.

"Wow! And I wrote it." James added running his hands lightly over the writing.

"Do you have your cell phone?" James asked.

"Um…yeah" Fishing it out of my pocket and handing it to him. James grabbed it from me taking one picture of the clearing and writing alone then sat up against the tree and took a picture of us with the writing between our shoulders before handing the phone back to me.

"Are you ready to go?" James asked gesturing over his shoulder towards the way back to the house, taking one last look at the writing before getting up and wiping my hands on my jeans.

"Yes" I replied with a smile at him.

The walk back home was like the walk to the tree house. Except now that we knew that the writing was there…we joked about the argument of who got to write the names. Of course James won!

Since we walked in from the back way by accident my aunt knew from where we exited at the front door to where we entered at the back door that we must have left somewhere so trying to hold back her chuckle.

"Have a good time?" James and I looked at eachother and back to her making all 3 of us laugh.

"Yeah…sure" I said with a pink face as James kept quiet beside me.

Aunt Riley never asked where we went but I had a feeling she knew it was somewhere we always ran off.


	9. Been there, done that

**Chapter 8**

The time said it was 1:15pm when we settled in with Aunt Riley to watch a movie after embarrassing ourselves. We watched _the notebook_ and as I expected James didn't pay attention to the movie. He whispered things to me the entire 2 hours! I tried to laugh as quietly as I could but when I looked at my aunt I laughed big time because she wasn't even paying attention to the movie and she picked it. She was reading a book! James followed my eyes and laughed as well when he saw my aunt reading, Aunt Riley looked up then.

"What? I knew that you guys would talk the entire time so I'm reading." She explained with the expression like _"been_ _there, done that"_ and gave me a wink secretly.

James put in a movie that we would actually relate to while Aunt Riley continued to read. It was… _A walk to remember_ clearly he was joking but he actually watched it. Myself seeing it so many times watched all the way until he finds out that she has leukemia then I fell asleep on James's shoulder. When I woke I was on James's chest and his arm was draped over a blanket laid on my back, He was asleep too. I sat up abruptly breathing heavy from the memories filling my head of _him_ along with that one night at the river back I didn't want to think of him, I try to forget him…the guy who broke my heart. Looking down I hadn't woken up James but I had cause him to shift a little and fall back into his dream, Aunt Riley was gone from the chair and he book took it's place when I realized The house smelled good again.

"_She's in the kitchen_." I said to myself while getting up and walking to the entranceway to the kitchen leaving a knocked out James on the couch and the movie at the main menu not caring about either…all I wanted was food and a shower.

"Hey, sleepyhead is James still asleep" Aunt Riley asked as I came into view.

"Yeah" I answered half-awake. Aunt Riley only laughed to herself as I sat down at the table. "What are you making? Smells good" I asked.

"Dinner" She replied obviously. That's when I noticed it was dark out and the time above the stove confirmed it reading 6:30pm. "I should probably go wake up James to go home, huh? I asked Aunt Riley.

"Sweetie he lives by himself and sometimes on days like this he sleeps here and leaves in the morning." She explained.

"Oh, well I feel dumb." I said again half-awake.

"I'll wake him for dinner then!" I said with a laugh and walked out the room to wake James. Aunt Riley only laughed to herself behind me in the kitchen.

Waking James is not an easy task to-do.

The strange thing is James looks very sexy when he's asleep. _Did I Just say that?_ I thought to myself. He was softly breathing with a crumbled blanket concealing everything from his chest to his feet. I slowly bent down and leaned in closely to his ear.

"James? Wake up sleepyhead." I said shaking him gently.

"What could you possibly want right now?" he asked, eyes still closed.

"You awake that is what I want. Dinner time" I replied only to receive a half asleep zombie beginning to stir awake.

James and I each stumbled into the kitchen barely awake only to cause Aunt Riley to laugh lightly. Everything was placed on the table: Sweet potatoes, green beans, fresh biscuits, and country fried steak. Plates were loaded already by the time James and I sat down, as always no matter how tired James looked he was still a gentleman and allowed the women of the house to fill their plates first.

"Dinner is amazing Ms. Riley thank you kindly." James noted appreciating it.

"You're quite welcome James, go ahead and eat as much as you like." Aunt Riley replied with her sweet smile.

I on the other hand practically ate a spoonful and was done, James secretly told me to eat but I ignored him. My appetite was gone no matter how nice the food tasted. After dinner, Aunt Riley started immediately on the dishes and James volunteered to help dry them. I walked out onto the porch and sat in one of the chairs staring out into the lavender filled garden. Like always right on time, James appeared shutting the front door behind him.

"You want to tell me what's wrong?" He asked leaning against the railing facing me. "Something is wrong, I can tell. First at the tree house and now at dinner" He added lowering his voice.

I looked away from the garden to James's face.

"I can't tell you here, come on." I said getting up and walking towards the garden with James following. We walked to the center of the garden and sat in a small patch of grass face to face.

"James I don't want to keep this from you anymore. The real reason I had that look on my face at the tree house was…It reminded me of someone who made me believe he loved me but instead he broke my heart. And I didn't eat at dinner because the thought was still in my head and I couldn't let it go." I lied on the last part.


	10. My mistake

**Chapter 9**

"Who's this _someone_?" James asked apologetically. "He shouldn't have hurt you like that…I never would."

"I know you wouldn't, you actually own a heart. _He_ didn't." I said looking down letting tears escape quietly from my eyes.

James was smarter than anyone to know that he shouldn't ever hurt me because he would never hear the end of it from Aunt Riley for one reason and I think he knew I wouldn't be able to handle it again, not even once more. James grabbed my hand and laced his fingers with mine. He knew some of the truth now and realized he would have to earn my trust from now on when it comes to certain things, he was there for me.

The next few days James wasn't around and I felt sick at night. For hours I would sit by the toilet in the bathroom thinking it's nothing to be worried over then I remembered. "My medicine" I thought to myself. Suddenly I was scared. It has been almost a week since I took any of my required meds. I slowly got up from the cold tile floor and attempted my way into Aunt Riley's bedroom a few doors away.

"Aunt Riley? I seriously need something." I said knocking a little harder than politely needed. She opened the door wearing a worried but serious look in her nightgown and robe.

"What is it sweetie? Are you alright?" she asked. "Aunt Riley I missed my meds." After those words everything went black. When I opened my eyes I was staring at a white ceiling in a hospital from my guess. Aunt Riley was sitting in the chair closest to my bed reading, she looked up when I turned my head towards her.

"Hey pretty girl. Promise me you and I won't have another one of these again" She said motioning to me in the hospital bed when I noticed a white bag beside her lap.

"What's in the white bag?" I asked curiously. Aunt Riley moved to stand by me and smiled softly. "It's your medicine sweetheart. The doctor wants to make sure you stay on them so he ordered a full term prescription specially designed for cancer patients.

"I'm ready to go home, Can we leave?" I said pulling off the warmly heated hospital blanket before my aunt stopped me and pushed a red button on the side of my bed.

A nurse appeared moments later gliding to my side unstrapping the tape and swiftly removing the IV injected to my arm. She nodded to my aunt and smiled at me placing a clear bag holding my clothes on the bed.

"Get changed sweetie, then we can leave and put you to bed" Aunt Riley left the room shutting the door behind her to give me privacy to change.

The one thing I loved about Aunt Riley, we think alike. The large clock across the room read 4:50am once my feet hit the floor and I ripped open the bag to pull on my sweats. I walked out the room moments later exhausted just wanting to leave, ever since I was diagnosed with this curse I feel like every time I enter a hospital I might not come out. The ride home was silent. We never spoke because no words needed to be said.

I slept all morning from our adventures at 4am. James could be heard in the garden at times and Aunt Riley was moving around the house from one place to another but I never made an appearance. For about a half an hour I laid in the sheets fully awake but still slightly sick. _"__Death is peaceful, simple, and dark. The way many of us wish life could be only to find it is the exact opposite; I on the other hand am afraid of death. Afraid of dying too soon and missing out on things every person should have. I do not blame anyone for the sickening life I have for I would not know who to blame. I would not regret to leave this world forced upon me in the unforgiving ways I do not wish to repeat and hope to never endure again. When someone in a crowd says "I am not afraid of death" I will simply look for that person astonished and silent.__"_ I wrote in my notebook having thoughts race through my head at one point.


	11. Thirsty?

Aunt Riley knocked politely on my door a while later to find me fully awake but still in bed. She held a darkly wooded tray in her hands with a bowl and coffee cup on it before placing it on the untouched part of the bed beside my legs; I smiled softly to her and again when she pressed her cold hand to my burning head. I pressed into her touch right when she moved her hand away to open the window for some cool southern air to blow in.

"It should help with the cool down. I brought you some homemade tomato soup and some juice-maybe not the best tasting put together but the doctor said it was the best thing for you right now. how ya feelin, sweetie?" Aunt Riley motioned around during the sentences.

"Besides burning up I guess I'd say okay." I answered shifting my stiff body under the sheets.

"James asked about you this morning when he came by; he was suprised you weren't outside with me but when I told him you hadn't felt well but never saying why he was really taken by it." She said placing her hand once again to my scortching face.

"Thanks for all this Aunt Riley, I know you don't have to do it." I sighed helplessly.

"Of course, not like you could do this on your own. Now eat because you're gonna need all the strength you can get." Aunt Riley said before leaving the room.

I ate every last bite on the tray almost like I hadn't eaten in days-the soup had no drop left in the bowl and i secretly wished the cup could refill itself to help my thirst ease in my throat. With the clank of the metal hitting glass Aunt Riley made her way into the room collecting the dishes when seeing I was still thirsty from my constant swallowing; She placed the tray back down on the bed and stepped out of the room leaving the door open for a few seconds. James was leaning against the wood in the doorway when I peered upward again seconds later; while I heard shuffling in the kitchen our eyes stayed locked on eachother until Aunt Riley moving to the bed again with a bottle of apple juice sprang us apart.

She filled the cup entirely and told me she would keep the bottle on my bedside table before kissing my head and leaving James and I permanently this time holding the tray in her hands. I took hold of the cup and downed the cold liquid before I noticed James was now beside me with a napkin in his hand; I lowered the now empty cup as he dabbed at places around my mouth with the napkin to clean me up-I blushed at that.

"Thirsty?" James asked with a small laugh before setting the stained napkin on the bedside table.

I nodded and looked away.

"Sorry if Aunt Riley scared you when she said I wasn't feeling well, I guess she didn't know how to explain what I'm feeling today; I'd say it's a cold but who knows." I apologized waving my hand for him to sit with me.

He sat on the end of the bed and faced me before speaking. "Scare me? Nah...okay maybe a little but your Aunt does that." James admitted trying to be tough but ended in sensitivity.

Grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together James met my eyes once again like we had when he was standing before we were interrupted except this time we were closer and alone. I looked intently into the features of his face noticing the small scar on his jaw from when he fell off the tree house ladder and the true color of his eyes; he placed his free hand on my back for my support before leaning slowly in unsure of my reaction. I slowly closed my eyes and met his warm lips with my slightly cold ones; our hands tightened around eachother as we each fell deeper into the kiss only if it was one.

He pulled away from me as I smiled to myself keeping my eyes shut for a moment longer; I opened them to find him watching me with a strike of passion across his face. I smiled into his eyes now before he took both my hands in his.

"Leah, I've truely wanted to ask this since I saw you again but would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" James asked with a soft smile and shimmering eyes.

"I'd like that, I would really like that." I said moving my hands from his and placing them around his shoulders for a hug and another quick kiss.

James stood up from the bed after our moment to the sound of Aunt Riley calling out his name; smiling to me he reached for his gloves out his back pocket and retreated. I sighed happliy against the pillows and thought to myself about the relationship him and I could have although I knew I couldn't tell him about my cancer yet...not yet.


End file.
